NU baseball and Sport in Society hit a home run in the community

(2-23-06) Boston, Mass.� Northeastern University�s NU Baseball team and Center for the Study of Sport in Society held the final session of the first free developmental clinic in the community on Saturday, February 18, 2006. The clinic, held at the Madison Park Community Center, was a collaboration between Sport in Society and the Northeastern University baseball team.

For two hours every Saturday for the previous six weeks, NU�s baseball team and staff members from Sport in Society have met at the Madison Park Community Center to offer a free clinic for young aspiring baseball players from across the city. Every week approximately 55 students arrived with their baseball gloves and hopes of becoming the next David Ortiz or Curt Schilling. Students, age nine to 12-years-old, hail from Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, Lower Roxbury, and North Dorchester.

�The clinic filled up immediately. The kids are eager to learn and come because they want to be here,� said Shannon Spriggs , manager of physical health and activity. �Their parents love it too. They regularly ask when the next one is scheduled.�

This session began with the children warming up by stretching in a semi-circle around NU baseball players. NU second baseman Garrett Chin, to break the ice, asked who was a Red Sox fan. A majority of the kids raised their hands. He then posed a second question, who was a Yankees fan. Two students timidly raised their hands, then, under the pressure of some intense glares from the other kids, clarified that they like both the Red Sox and the Yankees. Their modified response was met with smiles and cheers.

�I think the kids learn a lot from the players. And this is a way for the our players to be a part of the community, to contribute in a tangible way,� said Patrick Mason assistant coach to the Northeastern University baseball team. �Plus they love working with the kids. Every week we have more than enough guys signed up to help facilitate the clinic.�

After more than an hour of drills, ranging from fielding pop fly balls to pitching practice, the students broke into two indoor games. For their participation in the clinic NU baseball players distributed baseballs and baseball cards to the students.

About the Center for the Study of Sport in Society
The Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University is the world�s leading social justice organization that uses sport to create social change both nationally and internationally. The flagship organization located in the heart of Boston, Mass. was founded in 1984 by Dr. Richard Lapchick and touts branches in Baltimore, Md. and Phoenix, Ariz. Through research, education, and advocacy the center promotes physical activity, health, violence prevention, and diversity among young people and college and professional athletes. Sport in Society�s innovative programs are all staffed by former college or professional athletes and have been awarded America�s most successful violence prevention program by Lou Harris, the Peter F. Ducker Award as the most innovative non-profit program in the social sector, and have been cited as the National Crime Prevention Council�s 50 Best Strategies to Prevent Violent Domestic Crimes. For more information please visit http://www.sportinsociety.org.